The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

CAPI. II.

¶ The dreame of Nabuchodonosor. He calleth vnto hym sothsayers, and requyreth of them both the dreame •• the in∣terpretacyon therof. They answere that they cannot shewe it. The kynge commaundeth all the wyse men of Babylon to be slayue. Daniel requyreth tyme to solu••e the questyon.

The Lorde openeth the mystery vnto Danyel. Danyel is brought vnto the Kynge / and sheweth hym hys dreame and the interpretacyon therof. Of the euerlastynge kyng∣dome of Chryste.

IN THE seconde yeare of the raygne [unspec A] of Nabuchodonosor / had Nabucho∣donosor a dreame / * 1.1 where thorowe hys Sprete was vexed / and hys slepe brake from hym. Then the kyng commaunded to call together all the sothesayers / charmers / wytches and Caldees / for to shewe the king his dreame. So they came / and stode before the kynge. And the kynge sayde vnto them: I haue dreamed a dreame, & my sprete was so troubled therwith / y^• I haue clene forgot¦ten, what I dreamed. Upō this the Caldees

answered the kynge ☞ in the Syryans speach. O kynge. God saue thy lyfe for euer Shewe thy seruauntes the dreame / and we shal shewe the, what it meaneth. The kyng gaue the Caldees theyr answere, & saide: It is gone fro me: Yf ye wyll not make me vn∣derstande the dreame with the interpreta∣cyon therof, ye shal dye, & your houses shal∣be prysed. But if yee tel me the dreame & the meanynge therof, ye shall haue of me gyf∣tes / rewardes & great honoure: only, shewe me the dreame and the sygnyfycacyon of it. They answered againe, and sayde: the king [unspec B] must shewe his seruauutes the dreame, and so shall we declare what it meaneth. Then the kynge answered, sayinge: I perceaue of a trueth, that ye do but prolonge the tyme: for so moch as ye se, that the thynge is gone fro me. Therfore ye wyll not tell me the dreame ye shal al haue one iudgement. But ye fayne and dissemble with vayne wordes, whiche ye speake before me, to put of the ty∣me. Therfore tell me the dreame, & so shal I knowe, yf ye can shew me, what it meaneth. Upon this y^• Caldees gaue answere befoe the Kynge, and sayd: there is no man vpon earth, that can tel the thyng which the king speaketh of: yee, there is nether kyng prynce nor Lorde, that euer asked such thinges at a sothsayer charmer or Caldee: for it is a very harde matter, that the kynge requyreth.

Neyther is there any, that can certyfye the kynge therof, excepte the goddes, whose dwellynge is not amonge the creatures.

For the which cause the kynge was wroth [unspec C] with great indignacion, and cōmaunded to destroye all the wyse men at Babylon: & the proclamacyon wente forthe / that the wyse men shulde be slayne. They sought also to sleye Daniel with his companyons. Then Daniel enquered of Arioch the kynges ste∣warde, of the iudgement and sentence / that was gone forth alredy to kyll suche as were wyse at Babilon. He answered & saide vnto Arioch being then the kinges debyte: Why hath the king proclamed so cruel a sentence So Arioch tolde Daniel the matter. Upon this went Daniel vp / and desyred the king that he myght haue leysoure / to shewe the Kynge the interpretacyon: and then came he home agayne and shewed the thynge vnto Ananias, Misael and Asarias hys companyons: that they shulde beseche the God of heauen for grace in this secret, that Daniel and hys felowes with other suche as were wyse in Babylō, peryshed not. Thē was the mystery shewed vnto Daniel in a vysyon by nyght. And Daniel praysed the God of heauen. Daniel also cryed loude / & sayde: O that the name of God myght be praysed for euer and euer / for wysdome and strength are hys owne: * 1.2 he chaungeth the [unspec D] tymes & ages: ‡ 1.3 he putteth downe kynges / he setteth vp kynges: * 1.4 he geueth wysdome vnto the wyse, & vnderstandynge / to those that vnderstande, he openeth the depe secre∣tes: he knoweth the thyng that lyeth ī darc∣nesse ‡ 1.5 for the lyght dwelleth with him. I thancke the, and prayse the (O y^u God of my fathers) that thou haste lente me wysdome and strength, and hast shewed me the thyng that we desyred of the, for thou hast opened the kynges matter vnto me.

Upon this went Daniel in vnto Arioch, whome the kynge had ordeyned to destroye the wyse at Babylon: he wente vnto him, & saide, destroye not suche as are wyse in Ba∣bylon, but brynge me in vnto the kynge, & I shall shewe the kyng, the interpretacion. Then Arioch brought Daniel into the king in all the haste, and saide vnto hym: I haue foūde a man among the presoners of Iuda that shall shewe the kynge the interpreta∣cyon. Then answered the kynge, and sayde vnto Daniel, whose name was Balthasar / Arte thou he, that canste shewe me the drea∣me / whiche I haue sene, and the interpre∣tacyon therof? Daniel answered the kynge to his face, and saide. As for this secrete / for the whiche the kynge maketh inquysycion, it is neyther the wyse, the sorcerer, the char∣mer nor the deuyl coniurer, that can certyfy the kynge of it. * 1.6 Only God in heauen can open secretes, and he it is, that sheweth the kyng Nabuchodonosor what is for to come in the latter dayes.

Thy dreame, and that which thou hast sene [unspec E] in thyne head vpon thy bed, is this: O king thou dydest caste in thy mynde, what shulde come hereafter: So he that is y^• opener of my∣steryes, telleth the, what is for to come. As for me, this secrete is not shewed me, for eny wysdome that I haue, more then any other lyuing: but only y^• I myght shewe the king the interpretacyon, & that he myght knowe y^• thoughtes of his owne herte. Thou kyng sawest, and beholde: there stode before the a greate Image whose fygure was marue∣lous greate, and his vysage grymme. The Image head was of fyne golde, his breste & armes of syluer, hys body and loynes were of copper, his legges were of yron / hys fete were parte of yron / and parte of earth.

* 1.7 This thou saweste tyll the tyme that (without any handes) there was hewen of a stone which smote the Image vpon the fete that were bothe of yron & earth, and brake them to pouder: then was the yron / the erth the copper / the syluer / and golde / broken al together in peces / and became lyke the chaf of corne / that the wynde bloweth awaye frō the somer floores / that they can no more be founde. But the stone that smote the ymage became a greate mountayne / whiche fulfyl∣leth the whole earthe. This is the dreame And nowe wyll we shewe before the kynge: what it meaneth.

* 1.8 O Kynge / thou arte a kynge of Kyn¦ges: [unspec F] For the God of heuen hath geuen the a kyngdome / ryches, strength: and maiestye / and hath delyuered the al thynges / that are amonge the chyldren of men: the beastes of the felde / and the foules vnder the Heuen / and geuen the dominyon ouer them all▪ Thou arte that golden heade. After the there shall aryse an other kyngdome, which shall be lesse then thyne. The thyrde kyng∣dome shall be lyke copper / and haue domi∣nacyon in all landes. The fourth kyng∣dome shall be as stronge as yron. For lyke as yron broseth and breaketh all thynges. Ye, euen as yron baeteth euery thyng downe so shall it beate downe and destroye.

Where as thou sawest the fete and toes parte of earth and parte of yron: that is a de¦uyded kyngdome, whiche neuertheles shall haue some of the yron grounde myxte with it, for so moche as thou haste sene the yron myxte with the claye.

The toes of the fete that were parte of yron: and parte of claye / sygnifyeth that it shall be a Kyngdome partely stronge / and partely weake. And where as thou sawest yron myxte with claye: they shall myngle themselues with the sede of symple people / and yet not continue one with an other lyke as yron wyll not be souldered with a potte sharde.

In the dayes of these Kynges, shall the [unspec G] God of heuen set vp an * 1.9 euerlasting kyng∣dome which shall not peryshe, and his kyng dome shal not be geuen ouer to an other peo¦ple: yee, the same shall breake and destroye all these kyngdomes / but it shall endure for¦euer.

And where as thou sawest, that without eny handes there was cut out of y^• * 1.10 mount * 1.11 a stone / whiche brake the yron, the copper the earth / the syluer, and golde in peces: by that hath the greate God shewed the kynge what wyll come after this. Thys is a true dreame, & the interpretacyon of it is sure.

Then the kynge Nabuchodonosor * 1.12 fell downe vpon his face, and bowed hym selfe vnto Danyell / and commaunded that they shulde offre meatoffrynges and swete odou∣res vnto him. The kyng answered Daniel. and sayde: yee / of a trueth youre God is a God aboue all goddes / a Lorde aboue all kynges / and an opener of secretes: seynge thou canst dyscouer this mysterye. So the kynge made Daniel a greate man, and ga∣ue hym many and greate gyftes.

* 1.13 He made him ruler of al the countrees of Babilon, and lorde of all the nobles, that were at Babylon. Nowe Danyel intreated the kynge for Sidrach, Mysach and Abed∣nago / so that he made them rulers ouer all the officers in the lande of Babylon: But Danyel him selfe remained styl in the court by the Kynge.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iob. vii. b Danie. 4. a and. v. a
• * 1.2

  Dan. vii. d Luke. ••. c. Iob. 34. e. Iere. 27. a. Dani. iiii. c
• ‡ 1.3

  Iob xxxii b
• * 1.4

  1 Timo. ••. c
• ‡ 1.5

  1. Iohn. ••. ••.
• * 1.6

  Mat. xi. 8▪
• * 1.7

  Mat xxi. c. Luke. xx. b.
• * 1.8

  Dani. v. d
• * 1.9

  Esaye. ix b
• * 1.10

  Hebr. xii ••
• * 1.11

  Mat. xxi. c
• * 1.12

  Act. xilll. ••.
• * 1.13

  Gene. 4▪ ••